The development of the coronary care unit has resulted in a significant reduction in mortality due to electrical disturbance of heart rhythm in patients with ischemic heart disease who develop acute myocardial infarction. Residual mortality in hospital is related to derangements in hemodynamic function which is related to the amount of myocardial tissue which has undergone inrreversible injury. Damage to 20% of the left ventricular mass is associated with congestive heart failure and damage to 40% is associated with cardiogenic shock. If morbidity and mortality associated with acute myocardial infarction are to be reduced, then every effort must be made to decrease the extent of myocardial necrosis. Recent animal and clinical studies suggest that this goal can be achieved through the use of individual pharmacologic interventions. Two animal models, one involving the regionally ischemic and reperfused canine heart will serve as the test preparations. The studies center on the hypothesis that drug synergism may be exploited in the salvage of ishcemic myocardium. Several drugs will be studied alone as well as in combination. Included amont the agents to be tested are LODOXAMIDE, BW-755C and ZOMIPERAC. Other studies are proposed in which pharmacologic interventions known to salvage ischemic myocardium will be studied for their potential to preserve both global and regional ventricular wall function. The isolated heart preparation will be used to obtain information concerning myocardial cell membrane and subcellular events associated with ischemic injury and pharmacologic preservation of jeopardized tissue.